Just Another Morning
by Cerberos
Summary: He ran. He ran fast and far knowing it will not be enough. PS:I do not own KnB. What a pity.


He ran.

He didn't know how long he had been running, didn't know how much ground he had covered but he ran.

Heart pounding, lungs working overtime, breathing only through the nose, vision clouding, breath hitching in his dry throat, hair sticking to his face, sweating like there was no tomorrow, he sped through the dense forest with all his might.

He ran, cutting his way through the long blades of grass that reached up to his thighs, winding around the thorny shrubs and trees that left scratches on his skin as he brushed past them.

He was bleeding through the small cuts on his skin; wearing cuffed jeans torn at the knees, shirt too dirty to be even recognized as one and hair a wild, wild mess with leaves and sticking out of the sweaty strands but he couldn't care less.

He needed to run.

He needed to reach _there._

NOW.

So he ran, caring for nothing.

But he knew.

That it would not be enough.

He could hear _him._

He could sense _him_ behind himself.

Every step of the way.

The beast was closing in.

Paws thudding. The ground shook with every thump.

Not that it was walking.

Oh no.

It was _chasing_ him.

Its grunts echoed in the quiet forest. Its muzzle pulled back to show ferociously pointed teeth dripping with saliva as it zeroed in on its prey, the bloodthirsty beast was hot on his tail.

He knew.

He knew he was short for a human and it was quite huge for its size so no matter however long it took, he would tire before the beast did. Its long powerful strides compensated for his short hyper speedy ones. No matter how fast he ran, it wouldn't be enough.

But…..Ah! At last!

He saw it.

The small haven of earth, bricks and mortar with vines twining over the windows and a small garden surrounding it.

Standing strong as it had been for the past however many years.

The tiled roof with the chimney was puffing smoke lazily which indicated a warm fire and he suddenly had the urge to curl next to it while drinking hot chocolate.

He reached quickly and tried the door.

The door itself was a beauty; made of old teak wood with hinges and locks of sturdy iron that he had personally crafted.

Right now he didn't feel like admiring his handiwork on the door but on kicking it into the oblivion.

The fucking door was locked!

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhh! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! OF ALL THE THINGS THAT ARE HOLY…!

He never swore.

He considered it as something that less articulated people did. Something that was beneath him. A weakness. People swore only when words failed them and he had never been one of them.

But right now, he was hard pressed to doubt that theory.

He let out a string of curses and that's when he realized the lack of movement behind him.

The beast had stopped too.

The problem with a house in the forest was that there was no fence. Not that it would have mattered. It could have easily bounded across or barreled through depending on the situation, he reasoned in his mind.

He turned around slowly and pressed his back against the door. The fucking door.

He might as well face it head on. (Pride mattered first)

The beast sauntered towards him. There was probably now only two feet between them both. Not good, he thought.

It reared up on its hind legs.

The beast was a bear. A giant, colossal, huge, titanesque, massive bear.

It let out a huge roar that echoed multiple times through the silent forest. (Satisfaction on capturing him? Maybe, he thought. But he refused to be intimidated.)

He tried to edge sideways.

The beast would have none of it.

Its eyes glinted dangerously and it pinned him to the door with its front paws on either side of his face.

And leaned forward to open his jaws menacingly.

And stuck his tongue out to lick his face thoroughly.

"Mmph!...Mmm!...Mmmph!...Ha ha!...Ahhh!...Kou!…Kouki! You are…mmmpphh are slob….slobbering…..me with….mmmpphhh…your SPIT!...HA HA!...NO NO! NOT THERE! It tickles! Ha ha ha ha !...Kou…Kouki! sto….stop!….STOP!"

He couldn't help it. The giggles and tears rolled out of him seamlessly.

The bear's saliva mixed with his sweat and the chill morning air on his skin tickled him.

After thoroughly licking his face, neck, shoulders and any patch of skin that he could uncover, Kouki backed up.

Soon, in the ferocious bear's place stood a timid boy (shorter than him, he thought smugly) with eyes too large for his face bearing small irises, mousy brown hair that almost covered his eyes, pink blush adorning his cheeks while he smiled smugly up at Seijuro.

"Told you, you can't escape."

"Ha ha. Very funny", Seijuro fixed Kouki an exasperated glare, "Now, not only am I covered in dirt but spit and drool as well that strangely smells like yesterday's dinner."

"Oh. Do you want me to lick the dirt off of you?" Kouki asked taking a step forward.

"No!" Seijuro screeched, hand shooting up to stop Kouki's progress.

"What? But I thought you liked me licking you…" Kouki pouted.

"In your human form – yes. Because then I can make sweet, sweet love to you for hours together. But definitely not as a beast!" Seijuro retorted.

"Hmm. I could say the same to you, you know."

"Oh really?"

"Uh uh. Yeah. I don't particularly like waking up to a humongous lion on top of me, smothering me with its heat. Especially when we are cuddled up near the fire. You are too hot."

"Why, thank you Kouki." Seijuro grinned.

"I meant the temperature, smartass." Kouki cut in, unimpressed. "I melted from too much body heat!"

"Mm hm. And here I thought you liked stroking my mane." Seijuro sighed.

"That's because we don't have a pet and you are a big cat and you purr with your eyes closed when I do that." Kouki reasoned.

"Hm. So what happens now?"

"You don't snuggle me to death as a lion and I won't smother you with my saliva as a bear. Deal?" Kouki crossed his arms and spoke firmly.

Seijuro looked pained, "But.." Kouki glared.

"Fine" Seijuro kowtowed.

"And no transforming in the house. You break things." Kouki continued.

"I break..! Kouki. I will have you know that I didn't leave scratches on the door while getting out because somebody couldn't jump out the window." Kouki looked sheepish. "By the way, that reminds me, how did you lock the door?"

"Oh. That's easy! Kuroko taught me. A set of calculated thumps and there you go! Ta da! Same way to unlock. He uses it since Kagami forgets the keys all the time."

"I should have never introduced you to Tetsuya. That panda is a bad influence," Seijuro shook his head in resignation.

"Oh lighten up Sei! You love it when I surprise you…" Kouki grinned.

"That's true." He smirked and hugged Kouki. Ah. He loved having him in his arms. No wonder he wanted to cuddle him all the time.

Kouki pulled back from the embrace. "Come on. I will make breakfast and you take a bath." He kissed his cheek.

"Sounds like a plan."


End file.
